My First Stitch Fix

Hey everyone!  Do you have snow where you are?  Many of my friends and family are telling me all about their snowy fun, so I hope you are enjoying it if you have it!  

Today's post is all about a really cool fashion service called Stitch Fix! (referral link).  I heard about this service through two bloggers I follow: Julie and Chelsea, and am so glad I gave it a try!

Basically, Stitch Fix is like having your own online personal shopper.  You sign up, fill out a style survey about your preferences and types of clothing you want, and the people at Stitch Fix put together 5 items for you.  They mail your Fix to you for a $20 styling fee, you decide what you want to keep and what you want to send back, and you pay for what you keep (the $20 styling fee goes toward your purchases).  You can sign up for monthly Fixes, or you can schedule a Fix on the day that works best for you.

When you fill out the style survey, you select styles you like based on names as well as pictures of different clothing items in that style.  You can also talk about things you like and things you don't really need.  They also encourage you to link your social media accounts so that the stylists can get to know you a little better.  I linked my Twitter and Pinterest accounts, even though I thought they wouldn't really look at it.  Then, you wait until your Fix arrives!

I received my first Fix at the beginning of January.  I first noticed how neatly everything was packaged!  The instructions of what to do were also conveniently on the box.

The initial presentation of my items was adorable, as well!

One thing I LOVE about Stitch Fix is that it really is personalized to you.  As you can see, the stylist includes a personal note with your Fix.  Jennifer, my stylist, commented on different items she saw on my Pinterest account and said she included certain styles because of it.  I was REALLY impressed with this, especially since I linked them without really expecting that!

Here are the five items I received:

Those are gold knot earrings, in case you can't tell

I had a lot of fun trying all of the items on.  I really, really loved each item Jennifer selected for me!  Each item definitely fit my style, and I loved that some of the colors were different than the clothes already in my closet!

After much debate over some of the items, this was the sole keeper from my Fix:

I ALMOST kept the gray A-line skirt, but it fit just a little too tight around the thighs.  I thought this dress was really cute, and I love the red belt as an accent!  I have some red shoes that will go perfectly with it.  Here's a close-up of the patterning on the dress:

Another really cool thing about Stitch Fix is that they include some styling/accessorizing ideas with each piece they send you!  This is awesome for someone like me who is a little hesitant with the accessories.

The last step of your Fix is to return the items you aren't keeping and fill out an online survey about your experience.  On it, you say what you're keeping, pay the remaining balance for the item (minus the $20 styling fee), and rate the items you received.  There's also a space for comments, and they encourage you to be as detailed as possible!  One of the things I made sure to include was that while I did ask for gold jewelry in my first survey, they sent me gold stud earrings.  I prefer dangling earrings, so I made sure to put that in my post-Fix survey.

Overall, my first Stitch Fix was a very positive experience!  I've already scheduled my next fix in mid-March.  I'm looking forward to some more stylish clothes from Stitch Fix!  If you are interested in trying Stitch Fix yourself, sign up here (referral link).  I highly recommend this convenient, customer-oriented service!

Question for you: Have you ever tried Stitch Fix or another similar service?

Weekend Recap + Workouts

Hey, everyone!  I hope you had a great weekend.  Mine was pretty full, but good nonetheless.

Joe went out of town this weekend, so on Friday I had a Netflix marathon.  The show I'm watching: How I Met Your Mother.

I'm mid-season 4 right now, and I must say, I love the show!  While watching episode after episode, I baked some cookies (hey, I like to bake when Joe isn't there) and spent the evening on the couch with Kitty Cat.

Rockin' Friday night, there, y'all!  Then, on Saturday, I left town myself to attend a conference for Florida math teachers.  One of my goals for 2014 is to attend conferences, and I'm glad I picked this one!  It was all about what's going on at the Florida DOE and different initiatives they are working on.

After the sessions on Saturday, I headed across the street to eat dinner at Carrabba's.  I was the only one from my group staying at the hotel, so I had a nice solitary meal.

Saturday night involved more HIMYM, but this time, I was running on the treadmill while watching.

I had a nice 3-mile run then walked for a bit while finishing up an episode.

The conference finished up with some sessions on Sunday morning, and I was back home by 1!  Joe returned shortly after, and we had a relaxing afternoon of catching up and watching TV.  In the evening, we headed to Winghouse for the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Joe thoroughly enjoyed himself (as always), and I actually got really in to the final match (there are 30 guys trying to throw each other out of the ring...it's kind of fun!).  I ALMOST picked the winner of the match, so I bragged a little to Joe on the way home.

Overall, a fun weekend!  Now, let's take a look at my workouts this week.  I had the best week of workouts since coming back to school after winter break!  Here's what they looked like:
Sunday: 4-mile run + hip stability exercises
Monday: BodyPUMP class + hip stability exercises
Tuesday: 2 mile run + hip stability exercises
Wednesday: rest day
Thursday: Bikram Yoga (1.5 hours)
Friday: rest day
Saturday: 3 mile run + 20 minute walk + hip stability exercises

You may have noticed two things:
-I've been doing a lot of hip stability exercises!  Well, I went to a new chiropractic student, who is very focused on helping athletes.  She figured out that the cause of my knee pain (and some other little twinges) is due to hip instability and lack of core strength.  One way I've been working on that is by doing some exercises she showed me.  I was much better at doing them daily last week, and I noticed a difference very quickly!

-Bikram Yoga-This week, a friend asked if I wanted to use a guest pass at a Bikram (hot) Yoga studio nearby.  I thought it'd be fun to try, so we went together on Thursday.  Even though I was drenched in sweat, I really enjoyed this practice!  I'll have a full post soon reviewing my experience this week :)

Question for you: Do you ever go out to eat by yourself?  What's something new fitness-wise that you've tried lately?

WIAW #24: First WIAW of 2014

Hey, everyone!  Hope your Wednesday is just wonderful.  It's a chilly day here in Florida, but it's nothing a little coffee can't fix :)

My favorite travel mug from the very first Starbucks!

For the first time this year, I managed to take pictures of a full day's food!  That means it's time for....

What I Ate Wednesday is a huge blogger link-up, put on by Jenn at Peas and Crayons, to celebrate what blogland is eating.  For more information (and to check out other bloggers!), head on over to Jenn's site!  Let's check out what I ate on Tuesday!

Breakfast

This is a new-to-me cereal that I picked up buy-one-get-one this week: Quaker Oatmeal Squares in Honey Nut.  It's quite tasty!  Lately, I've been slicing up a banana to go in my cereal, but that didn't happen on Tuesday.

Mid-morning Snack

Chobani has been on sale at my grocery store lately, so I picked up a bunch of new-to-me flavors.  Lemon is one of those, and I really enjoy it!

Lunch

Joe and I have some roast beef we need to eat up, so we both had roast beef pitas for lunch with some mixed greens and onions included.  I had some baby carrots and (unpictured) orange and green pepper slices.  Quite a healthy and satisfying lunch!

Afternoon Snack

Sorry for the blurry photo

I'm back to having Nature Valley Protein Bars on my way home from work.  We couldn't find any of my favorite flavor (Salted Caramel Nut), but these Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate ones are pretty good, too.  They're perfect before an afternoon workout/run, and I completed a 2-mile run (had to get to the chiropractor!) when I got home.

Dinner

When shopping this weekend, Joe and I saw these salmon pinwheels with seafood filling while we were looking for fresh meat to purchase.  I was intrigued, so we bought a pack of two to bake.  I made them for dinner on Tuesday with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans on the side, and MAN were they good!  These are definitely going to be something we get for dinner at least once a month, and I may even try to make some of my own (that should be interesting...).  If I do, I'll be sure to share the recipe ;)

Question for you: What's the best unplanned item you've picked up from the grocery store lately?
These salmon pinwheels are definitely it for me, with the Oatmeal Squares cereal being a close second :)

So, You Ran a Half Marathon...Now What? Part 3

How's it going, y'all?  I actually had a good, productive day today, despite the day off yesterday!  I knew it was going to be a good day when I saw this after pulling in to the parking lot.

#nofilter

I'm starting to love seeing the sunrises just as much as the sunsets :)

I'm excited for the post today, as I'm continuing to talk about what to do after running your first half marathon.  I'm probably my favorite topic of the series :)  Without further ado...

Today is Part 3 of this 4-part series.  If you missed the first two parts, here they are:
Part 1: Rest and Reflect
Part 2: Try a Triathlon or obstacle course race
And now....
Part 3: Sign up for another one!

When you were resting and reflecting on your first half experience, maybe you realized that you LOVED it and want to do another one!  Or, maybe you realized some things you could have done to make the experience better and you want to try those out.  Maybe you know you can do better and want to push yourself to meet that goal.  In any case, it looks like it's time to sign up for another half marathon!

A few things you want to consider when signing up for your next half marathon:

• Big or small race? Running different kinds of races is always a new experience.  My first two half marathons were large races, so when I ran a local half, it was exciting to try something different!
• Are you going for a PR? If so, you want to look in to the course of whatever race you are signing up for.  Flat courses in climates you are familiar with are great for PRs.  Lots of hills and really hot weather?  Not so much.
• Are you looking for an added challenge from your first race?  If so, sign up for a race that was different than your first race.  A hilly course with many elevation changes will be different, as well as running a race during a different season or even in a different place.
• Destination race or local? It is a lot of fun to see new places by running a half marathon there.  It can also be a little trying on the body, so consider if you are willing to run in a place unfamiliar to you.  Local races are also fun, as you get to see your area in a different way.

After you've thought about what you want your next race to be like, it's time to sign up for one!  There are a lot of different ways to find races around you, but here are some things that I use:

• I love to run larger races, so I often browse websites for popular race series.  I usually pick races from here based on convenience or any discounts I might be able to find.  Here are some race series you could try: runDisney, Rock 'n Roll Marathon Series, ZOOMA Women's Race Series, Divas Half Marathon Series, The Biggest Loser Run/Walk Race Series
• You can search for races in your area or anywhere in the country using Active.com or HalfMarathons.net.  
• A Google search of half marathons in your area is also a good way to find local races.  In fact, while researching for this post, I found a half marathon I just might sign up for in April!
• Look through some of your favorite running blogs to see what races they are running.  If the race is close by or reasonable for you try out this year, read their reviews and look in to registering for the race if it appeals to you.  Plus, you may be able to find out a discount code!
• Sign up for local race e-mail lists.  I've gotten on a few of these from signing up for local races online and have found some good races to sign up for.

Speaking from personal experience, it is a lot of fun to vary the types of half marathons I ran after my first.  I'm looking forward to another local, semi-large half marathon and repeating a race coming up in February!  The search has already begun for half marathons throughout the rest of the year :)

Question for you: For those of you who have run a half marathon, how long did it take you sign up for your second??

Weekend Recap

Good afternoon, everyone!  Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to my U.S. friends!  MLK was really an admirable man who fought for what he believed in and preached a message of love.  As we honor him today, here is one of my favorite quotes of his:

Picture taken at the MLK memorial in DC

Also, it's time to announce the winner of the Spartan Race giveaway!  Drumroll please...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats, Eric!  The winner has been emailed.  For those of you who didn't win but are interested in signing up for a Spartan Race, use this link for a 15% discount!  Thanks to all of you who entered!

Let's talk about this weekend, shall we?

On Friday, Joe's mom and sister arrived!  We grabbed dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then came home to watch some movies on Netflix.  Quite a relaxing little evening, but it gave us some time to catch up!

We took a relaxed approach to Saturday morning, sleeping in and grabbing some breakfast as each person woke up.  Then, Joe, Katherine (his sister), and I all worked out.  Katherine and I went for a 3 mile run together.

It was so nice to have a running buddy!  We took a slow and easy pace, and it was a great way to start our day.  Our miles were dedicated to Meg, a woman from just outside Richmond, VA who was killed by a drunk driver on her morning run.  Runners all over the country dedicated their miles to #megsmiles.  It was crazy to go through social media and see how many were participating!  I'd love to know how many #megsmiles were run all together!

After our exercise, we all got ready to go to Blue Springs State Park.  This spring stays at 72 degrees all year round, so manatees will swim up the St. John's River to hang out in warmer waters during the winter.  You can't swim with the manatees, but it's a lot of fun to watch them swim and play!

When I went last year, there were only about 4 manatees in the spring (it was a warm day).  But on Saturday, they were EVERYWHERE and I loved it!

Manatee Hug!!

Joe, me, and manatees

I caught one breathing!

We spent a few hours walking around the park and enjoying the manatees, which are one of my favorite things I get to see when living in Florida (the beach is a close second)!

We went to a local ale house for dinner, then Joe, Katherine, and I went to a new comedy club for a show.  It was PACKED and we wound up standing for the show, but we enjoyed it.  The comedian was Grandma Lee, and she just cracked me up!  Picture your grandmother sharing way too much information and giving her grandkids inappropriate advice for the future.  Fun times!

Our visitors left early Sunday morning, so Joe and I went to church and the grocery store in the morning.  We both exercised (I ran 4 miles, he lifted weights) then went over to a friend's house for the football games.  Both teams I was cheering for won, so now I'm looking forward to a good Super Bowl (Go Seahawks!).  We had great food, enjoyed the games, and had fun talking with some friends.  After that, it was time for some karaoke!

Joe and his friend Adam really get in to dressing up and singing 80's rock songs.  They have a good little routine going for "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money.  I also sang (Joe sang Love Shack with me and then I sang Picture with one of Joe's friends), but I didn't get dressed up.

Overall, it was a very fun weekend!  I'm excited to have today off work to relax, get some chores done, and prepare for work tomorrow!

Question for you: Who will you be cheering for during the Super Bowl?  What's your go-to karaoke song?

Friday Favorites

Hey there!  We finally made it to Friday :)  I don't know about y'all, but it has been a LONG week for me.  I have just been so tired for no reason at all.  Even multiple cups of coffee a day can't beat this sleepiness!

Oh well, let's get to some fun things today.  First, if you happened to miss yesterday's post, I'm giving away a free entry to any Spartan Race!  You have until 11:59PM on Sunday to enter, so hurry!

Now, let's get on to some of my favorite things this week.

Favorite Welcoming Committee

When Joe and I were cleaning this weekend, we put a mat outside to air out/dry.  Kitty Cat (our stray cat friend) decided to start waiting for us there this week, and it's quite a cute sight to come home to!

Favorite Accomplishment

My long run on Sunday was AWESOME!  My average pace was under 11:00 for the first time on a long run.  I feel really great about myself and really excited to continue training for these two half marathons I have coming up!

Favorite Way to Celebrate that Accomplishment

After my awesome run, Joe and I went to one of our favorite bars to watch football.  I ordered my favorite beer, Terrapin Rye Pale Ale, and enjoyed the evening with the hubby :)

Favorite New Clothes

This dress is SUPER CUTE!  It came in my very first StitchFix (referral link!), which I will talk more about soon :)  The dress is comfy, has an adorable cut in the back, and is flowy and fun.

Favorite Secret

Today, one of my co-workers and I planned a surprise baby shower for my friend/co-worker, Ashley.  We told her we wanted to meet with her to talk about plans for when she is out on maternity leave (a completely normal thing for the department head and math coach to do), so she was 100% surprised when she saw the room!  We had a great time eating lunch together, opening gifts, and eating this fantastic cake that one of the teachers made.  She is so talented!

I'm also pretty impressed with myself for pulling off this surprise, since I'm usually too excited to keep my mouth shut.  Ashley was impressed, too!  :)  I can't wait to meet baby Kourtney oh-so soon!

Favorite Laugh

I opened my Chobani yogurt on Monday and was surprised to read this on the lid!  I got a good little laugh out of it, then started to wonder if reading that really did burn 2 calories.  That's my inquisitive math brain for ya!

Question for you: Anything you are celebrating this week?

So, You Ran a Half Marathon...Now What? Part 2 (Giveaway now closed)

How's everyone doing today?  I'm excited to continue with you the series I started on Monday that will hopefully help you deal with any post-race blues.  If you missed up, catch up on Part 1: Rest and Reflect.

Part 2: Try a triathlon or an obstacle course/mud run race.
After reflecting on your race, you may have realized that a road race doesn't excite you that much.  Maybe you like to run a little bit, but you were bored out of your mind just running those 13.1 miles (or even 3.1 miles during a 5k).

If that sounds like you, then you have some options.  One thing you could look in to is a triathlon.  The standard distance is a 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and 10k run.  These take a lot of training, but it could cure your boredom with a plain old road race.

Another option is to try an obstacle course race (or a mud run)!  These races are 3+ miles long and feature mud pits to get through, ropes to climb, nets to low-crawl under, and walls to scale.  This could be a lot more exciting for some of you, as you never know what exactly is around the corner after a brief run!

Sometimes, the obstacles in these races can seem intimidating.  If you are interested but feel nervous, make sure to read the race information and any warnings they may put out regarding fitness level.  Luckily, most of the obstacle race series can be completed if you are in moderate physical condition.  One such series is the Reebok Spartan Race series!

The Spartan Race has been running since 2005 and was voted the #1 obstacle race series by Outside Magazine!  According to their website, the races are designed for all people of every fitness levels to be able to complete.

Spartan Race has three different levels: the entry level Spartan Sprint (3+ miles/15+ obstacles), the intermediate Super Spartan (8+ miles, 20+ obstacles), and the advanced Spartan Beast (12+ miles, 25+ obstacles).

On February 15, the Special Ops Spartan Race will take place in Tampa at Raymond-James Stadium!  If I wasn't running the Daytona Beach Half Marathon the very next day, I would certainly be there.  Even though I enjoy road races and usually prefer not to be muddy while running, the Spartan Race series seems like one I'd actually want to try out.  There's a lot more to it than just getting as muddy as possible.  Maybe next year!

Now, here's the fun part: One of you will have the opportunity to WIN a free entry into ANY open heat Spartan Race!  They have races around the country, so go to their website, see if there is a race close to you, and enter the giveaway for your chance to win!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Disclosure: I was contacted by Spartan Race to talk about their race series and give away a race entry.  All opinions are my own.***

Question for you: Have you ever run a mud race/obstacle course race?

FLBlogCon FORUM 2014

Good morning, everyone, and Happy Wednesday!  Can you believe it's the middle of the week already?  I can't!

Did you catch my first post of the series So, You Ran a Half Marathon...Now What?  I'm really excited to continue that series tomorrow which will also feature a giveaway!!  Get pumped, y'all!

Today, I wanted to share with you my experience at FLBlogCon's FORUM 2014.  FLBlogCon puts on a large blogger conference each fall (I missed it due to Kristie and Joe visiting...I'll catch it next year!), and this year was the first time they held a mini-conference FORUM.  It took place at East End Market, a food-to-table indoor market featuring some of Central Florida's local vendors.  I won a ticket to this conference from Professor Josh (education and educational technology blogger), so I was excited to learn more about blogging and meet new people free of charge!

Image Source

(Side note: If you live in the area, check it out!  What a cool place!)

FORUM began with a State of the Blog Address from Justice Mitchell.  He had an engaging and informative presentation about making your blog actually matter.  Here were my biggest takeaways:

• Dive deep into the persona of your reader and curtail your message to it
• Create "Ace of Spades" moments with your readership by thinking about what you want readers to do after reading your post
• Investigate growing and dying social media and make it work hand-in-hand with your post.

Next, Ben Reed presented on "Self-Hosting Your Blog Made Easy."  I was excited about this presentation, as I have been looking in to self-hosting (getting a domain name) for a while.

He broke his presentation into different questions about the process and provided lots of resources and information.  My biggest takeaways were:

• Self-host because your brand is categorized by the "._______.com" in your web address.
• When choosing a domain name, Namechk.com helps you check the availability of it on all social media channels.  WhoIs.com can help you see how has your domain name.
• Self-hosting allows you more creativity with your blog/brand.  You can also measure success easier, as well as make it easier to grow when you self-host.

I will certainly be using Ben's presentation when looking in to self-hosting in the near future!!

Next, Bess Auer, the founder of FLBlogCon, did a presentation entitled "Go Hollywood!" and showed us all about creating video content for our blogs.  She and her husband cover Florida swimming and create many, many videos each year.  Her presentation was really entertaining and informative, and she made us all feel confident that we could all make videos no matter what our skill level.  I learned so much in this presentation, but the biggest takeaway was that any video (including ones taken from my iPhone!) generate high interest, some readers prefer video, and it expands your blog to other social media channels.  She provided lots of resources and editing tips, and even showed us a hilarious video of her husband removing an opossum from their house!

They shot this using an iPhone.  How funny!

The last presentation was from Katy Widrick on Monetizing Your Blog.

Katy shared all sorts of ways to make money from your blog without losing readership.  I appreciated her knowledge and all of the resources she provided.  If you are interested in blogging, check out Katy's posts about EVERYTHING blogging-related.  She knows her stuff!  I've also started following her blog and find her posts to be entertaining and easy to relate to.

Last, it was time to Mix and Mingle with the FORUM attendees!

We all received a free Cigar City beer (thanks to Katy's husband!)

...and I met some great people (and found some new blogs to follow)!

Mia, Jane, Linda, me, and Cecille

I'm really glad I decided to attend FORUM 2014.  I learned a lot, made some new friends, and had a great time.  I look forward to putting my new knowledge in to practice, and I can't wait to attend another FLBlogCon event!

Question for you:  Have you ever attended a conference for your job/hobby?

So, You Ran A Half Marathon....Now What? Part 1

Well hey, everyone!  I hope your week is off to a rockin' start.  It was hard for me to get up this morning after a relaxing weekend.  More on that tomorrow :)

Today, I'm going to start a new series about what to do after you've run your first half marathon.  You may have set a New Year's goal to complete one at some point this year, or you may have just finished your first half marathon recently (at Disney this weekend, maybe?).  Well, after you get your bling, celebrate your accomplishment, and check out all of the race photos, a "Now What?" feeling seems to set in.

This series will talk about a few ways to beat that post-race anticlimactic feeling.

Part 1: REST and Reflect

Image Source

The first thing you need to do is REST!  You just put your body and mind through quite a trial, so give them some time to recover.  Easy walks, ice packs, compression gear, and lots and lots of water, electrolytes, and protein are great ways to help your body get back to normal.

As you rest, it's also a good time to reflect on the overall experience of your first half marathon.  There are three things you should focus on: the training, the race, and your body.

1. Training:  After you finish the race, think back on your training.  Did you stick to your plan?  Did it effectively prepare you for the race?  Did you sustain any injuries during training that held you back a little?  Where there some fuel/hydration techniques you tried/didn't try that were helpful?  What could you have done better to prepare you for race day?  Did you enjoy the training process?

My Rock 'n Roll Half training plan

Reflecting on your training will help you better reflect on the race itself, as well as help you realize what you want to do afterward.

2. The Race: The race itself is also important to reflect on.  Think about your favorite parts of the race, as well as what you did well.  It's human nature to focus on the negatives, but hey, you just finished your first half marathon!  You deserve some positive vibes first!

Throw yourself a little party!

Next, think about how you felt both physically and mentally during the race.  Use your training reflections to see if your training helped or hurt you.  Last, it's always good to discuss your race with someone you ran with or another runner friend.  They will be excited to hear about your race, as well as offer any advice if you need it.

3. Your Body: Last, you need to think about how your body handled the training and race.  Your first priority is to take care of any injuries that developed during the race by seeing a doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist, etc.  Also, deal with any recurring issues you experienced during your training.  Now that you don't have a training schedule to follow, it's the perfect time to get those taken care of.  Also, think about anything you could have done to prevent problems during training or ways you could have better prepared your body for the race.

Foam rolling is a great way to reduce some of the soreness!

Reflecting on these three things will help you decide what to do next after your half marathon!  Keep those reflections in mind, and make sure you stay tuned to Parts 2, 3, and 4 for ideas to combat your post-half blues.

Question for you: Those of you who are seasoned half-marathoners, what's a key reflection you made after your first half?

Stream of Consciousness Saturday

Are you guys getting sick of me randomly taking a blogging hiatus in the middle of the week?  I am, too!  I keep saying that it won't happen next week, but inevitably, it does.  Life gets in the way, and I'm going to have to let that be ok sometimes.

Since I don't have any specific I wanted to share, I'm going to call this Steam of Consciousness Saturday, where I will post a few random thoughts/things about my week.

1. We went back to school this week, and other than groaning at my alarm clock on Tuesday morning, things went very well!  I have some teachers trying new things, and it is very exciting to see them getting their students more involved in math class.

2. Speaking of work, one teacher invited me to do a hands-on lesson with their students this week!  It was a lot of fun to be working with students again, and the teacher e-mailed me the next day telling me how much the kids learned and retained.  It was fantastic to hear that I was able to reach them in a different way, and I'm so excited she asked me to do the lesson!

3.  I love to watch the sun set, and it's not often I'm up for the sun rise.  I saw it this morning, and it did not disappoint!

#nofilter

4.  Kitty Cat has continued to spend the night with us, and he is just adorable.  He is quite the snuggle buddy!  He would also ROCK at yoga.

5.  After doing an awesome job with my workouts this weekend/start of the week, I slacked off.  I'm going to make a schedule for next week so that I can make those workouts a priority.  I especially need to focus on my running, as the Daytona Half is just about a month away!

6. On Wednesday, I started a new Bible study: Gripped by the Greatness of God by James McDonald. This is my first non-Beth Moore Bible study in a few years, which is a good thing.  Sometimes, you need to hear the Word of God preached by some new faces!  After the first video session, I feel like this is going to be a great one!

7.  I read a huge announcement on Twitter this week, and it has me SO INSANELY excited for this summer!  As I revealed this past summer, I used to be OBSESSED with Fall Out Boy in high school.  I discovered them before they became big and have loved them ever since.  A little band called Paramore (another high school band obsession) was on their indie record label, and I also discovered them before they became big.  I've said since then that I want to be Hayley Williams, the lead singer.  Well, imagine my insane excitement when I found out THEY WILL BE TOURING TOGETHER THIS SUMMER!

Yes, MonumenTour is a perfect name for this tour.  They're coming to Tampa AND St. Pete two days in a row, so I just might attend both shows.  We'll see what my wallet thinks about that.

8.  And, since I can't end on an odd number, I've recently started watching How I Met Your Mother on Netfiix.

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I'm on the 13th episode in Season 1, and I'm really enjoying it so far.  My brother has watched almost all of the seasons, so it's fun to text him about what I think about each episode, the characters, and my predictions for the show.

Ok, I think it's time for me to make some coffee and read for a little bit :)  I'm heading to Orlando in a few hours for FLBlogCon's FORUM meeting!  More on that later.

Hope you have a sensational Saturday!

Question for you: Do you like going to concerts?  What a random thought on your mind?